No. 16 Texas A&M heads to Olympia Fields for the Fighting Illini Invitational, where Aaron Pounds and Wheaton Ennis lead a loaded Aggies lineup.
Texas A&M men’s golf gets another major early-season test this weekend as the No. 16 Aggies head to Olympia Fields Country Club for the 20th annual Fighting Illini Invitational.
The event features one of the strongest fields in college golf, with 12 preseason top-25 teams scheduled to compete. Florida, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, LSU, Illinois, Pepperdine, Alabama, Stanford, Florida State and Georgia Tech are among the ranked programs joining Texas A&M.
For head coach Brian Kortan, the tournament offers another chance to measure his team against national-level competition only days after the Aggies finished second in stroke play at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
“It’s nice to get the season started,” Kortan said after that event. “We are excited about our match with Texas tomorrow. We don’t often play regular season match play. It’s a great opportunity to pick up some more match play experience and see where we are as a team.”
Texas A&M will send out Aaron Pounds, Wheaton Ennis, Shiv Parmar, Landon Ashcraft and Kris Kuvaas at Olympia Fields.
Ennis enters as one of the biggest names in the lineup after finishing last season ranked No. 29 nationally with a 68.83 adjusted scoring average. He also opened this season strongly at the Stephens Cup, shooting 5-under 211.
Parmar was even better in Frisco, finishing third at 6-under 210 with rounds of 69, 73 and 68.
Pounds brings the most experience near the top of the lineup. The senior finished last season ranked No. 63 nationally and owns a collegiate victory at the 2025 Gopher Invitational.
Weather has already altered the schedule. Teams are now set to play 36 continuous holes Friday beginning at 7:30 a.m. Central, followed by the final 18 holes Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday remains available if weather forces another delay.
The tournament will be played on Olympia Fields’ South Course while the club’s North Course undergoes renovations.
Texas A&M enters the season with high expectations after reaching the NCAA Championship for a fifth consecutive year last spring. The Aggies have also won 16 tournaments during Kortan’s tenure.
With a field this deep, Olympia Fields should provide an early indication of just how close Texas A&M is to becoming a legitimate national-title contender again.
